Machine for making circular knit hosiery



April 17, 1962 ER MACHINE FOR MAKING CIRCULAR KNIT HOSIERY Filed 001:. 17, 1956 7 9 MK -r A 5 am a hug INVENTOR. tbasfapflez United States Patent 3,029,622 MACHHNE FGR MAG CHRCUILAR KNIT HUSERY Chester P. Berg, Birdshoro, Pa., assignor to Manor Hosiery Mills, Inc., Birdsboro, Pa. Filed 0st. 17, 1956, Ser. No. 616,447 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-146) This invention relates to circular knit hosiery and more particularly, toa circular knitting machine, a yarn tensioning compensator and to a method of knitting seamless hosiery, particularly the welt portion thereof. The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 602,378, filed August 6, 1956, now Patent No. 2,896,435, dated July 28, 1959.

The conventional method of knitting ladies seamless hosiery in circular knitting machines is to use preshrunk yarn, such as preshrunk nylon yarn, for knitting the welt portion, as well as other portions, so that high temperatures encountered in subsequent operations, such as the dyeing and preboarding operations, will not cause further shrinkage of the yarn. While the use of preshrunk nylon yarn avoids the disadvantages of later shrinking of the yarn and of the welt, which would cause discomfort to the wearer, it has the outstanding disadvantage of requiring expensive yarn material since preshrunk nylon yarn is rather costly. Furthermore, the use of preshrunk nylon yarn does not permit sufficient stretchability in the welt portion, therefore it is disadvantageous since substantial flexibility is a desideratum in the welt to give wearing comfort and eliminate formation of welt impressions on the wearers legs. Furthermore, preshrunk nylon yarns still cause certain defects in the welt, such as distorted stitches, sometimes referred to as crowsfeet or hen tracks resulting in unattractive and imperfect hosiery.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus for circular knitting of hosiery of the seamless type, particularly the welt or shadow-welt portions thereof, which will overcome the above stated disadvantages.

,A further object of this invention is to provide a novel method of knitting and a novel tension controlling attachment for a circular knitting machine, which will enable the use of very inexpensive yarn in its raw state, that is, without preshrinking, and thus considerably reduce the cost of making ladies hosiery, and simultaneously improve the quality of the hosiery.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a novel tension controlling attachment for a circular knitting machine which will enable loose knitting with raw yarn for making a welt portion of the ladies seamless hosiery, thereby providing a considerable increase in stretchability of the welt, as compared to knitting with preshrunk nylon yarn under tension, and giving an amazingly high degree of comfort to the wearer.

. A more specific object of this invention is to provide, in a tension control device for any seamless knitting machine, a tension control means responsive to operations of the yarn feeding finger so as to effect loosening of the tension when raw yarn is being knitted to form the welt portion, or shadow-welt portion, and so as to effect tightening of the tension when it is not being knitted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from a study of the following specification taken with the accompanying drawing, wherein the single FIGURE is a vertical elevational view of the warn feeding and tensioning portion of a circular knitting machine and including a tension controlling attachment embodying the principles of the present invention.

3,929,622 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 from a bobbin, is fed through an eyelet 2a, thence through a tension compensator comprising a spring suspended eye 3 which has a circumferential groove which cooperates with two parallel vertical rods 4a whose ends are secured to top and bottom cross members to form a rectangular frame. A ring 3a is looped to the bottom coil 3b, of a helical spring 3c, which spring is suspended by the top cross member which is supported by bracket 4 fastened on a branch or arm 5 extending from a stand or post 6. A plurality of branches (not shown) similar to branch 5 extend from post 6, each of which supports a similar spring suspended eye 3 and supporting assembly 4a etc.

The function of the spring suspended eye 3, which is freely and vertically movable in accordance with the tension of the yarn 2, is to compensate for the varying tension of yarn 2, that is, to maintain substantially constant tension of the yarn as it is fed into the tensioning assembly.

Before the thread 2 is fed into a circular knitting machine, shown partly at 32, it passes through a novel tensioning assembly which is controlled by the operation of the pivotally mounted fingers 2 9. After the thread passes through eye 3, it goes through registering holes 20 and 22 in flanges 19 and 21, respectively, integrally formed on base plate 18. Normally, thread 2 is tensioned by frictionally sliding underneath a plate 17 which is centrally pivoted at 16 to a hammer '14. The hammer 14 is pivotally mounted on flange 11 by means of a pivot 11a. The weight of hammer 14 and of plate 17, which is angularly adjustable relative to the hammer so that it will rest squarely on plate 18 when the hammer is down, rests on the thread and causes tensioning thereof as the thread is fed through eyelet 31 and through an aperture in the extremity of the corresponding finger 29. Thread 2 while it is tensioned, as described, is fed into a circular knitting machine.

Assume that finger 29 shown at the extreme left controls the knitting of the welt portion of the stocking. Then, in the usual way, this finger 29 is turned clockwise, that is, the slitted end portion through which yarn 2 passes is lowered into the machine from the portionshown. In accordance with the present invention, a stiff wire 23 is connected between the left extremity of finger 29 and the left extremity of a lever 13, pivotally mounted at 24. Therefore, during knitting of the welt and as the left finger 29 moves clockwise so as to raise wire 23, it will turn lever 13a clockwise so that the top adjustably mounted angular portion 12 will be rocked clockwise and slid away from a downwardly inclined top portion of lever 8, which lever is pivotally mounted at 9 to a vertical block or post 7. In so doing, spring 8a, whose lower end 8b is attached to a stationary part of the framework, and which spring is under tension, will. pull down on the left end of lever 8 so that the right end of the lever 8 will contact and lift the arm 10 of the hammer 14 so as to lift the thread-engaging element 17 out of contact with the thread and thus allow the thread to lose its tension, or to-become loose as it is being fed into. the knitting machine during knitting of the welt portion.

The tensioning assembly, which includes mounting 3 block 7a, is adjustably mounted on the conventional plate 28 of a circular knitting machine; by means of screws or bolts 26 extending through slots in a bracket 25. Conventional return springs 27 are provided between one end of each finger 29 and the top flanged portion of plate 28.

Since the tension of thread 2 is maintained at a substantially constant value by vertical movements of eye 3, which constantly takes up the slack of the thread, the knit of the welt portion, or other portions, will be entirely devoid of imperfections, such as snarls, cro-ws-feet or other thread distortions which detract from the appearance of the finished stocking. And, as stated above, after the thread 2 leaves the constant-tensioning eye 3, it will be normally tensioned by the hammer 14 and threadcontacting element 17 which rest thereon While the corresponding finger 29 is in the inactive position as shown. But as soon as the left or welt-controlling finger 29 is lowered to commence knitting of the welt portion or shadow welt portion, hammer 14 is automatically lifted so as to withdraw element 17 from engagement with the thread and allow the thread to be knitted loosely, while forming the welt or shadow welt portion. This provides an amazing degree of stretchability of the welt portion due to the inherent stretchability of raw yarn, particularly when knitted without tensioning the thread.

By knitting. the welt portion, or shadow welt portion with raw nylon yarn or other raw yarn, without tensioning, there will be produced a very stretchable welt portion having at least about 2 inches or more additional stretch than in preshrunk nylon welts. More specifically, the stretch is extended from perhaps 11 /2 inches to as much as 14 or 14 /2 inches. Furthermore the loose knitting by raw nylon yarn eliminates slack and looping and helps to bring the yarn under the binder. It also eliminates the necessity of preboarding and prevents crows-feet, and similar knitting imperfections. Considerably increased stretchability of the welt of the finished hosiery results in an amazingly greater comfort in wear. And by using raw yarn of any linear polyamide, such as nylon, or of other synthetic material, the cost of throwing is eliminated, as well as the cost for preshrinking and twisting of the welt yarn. In short, the cost of making the stocking or other knit fabric is considerably reduced, whereas the quality is considerably increased, particularly as to stretchability of the welt and elimination of imperfect knitting, such as crow-s-feet and the like.

While the loose, raw yarn has been described above for the making of the welt or shadow-welt portion of seamless hosiery it may be used for knitting full fashioned hosiery, also it should be noted that such yarn may also be knitted to form other portions of a stocking, and, in fact, if desired, the entire stocking, or perhaps other fabrics wherein stretchability is desired, as well as low cost in manufacture, for example ladies under garments, such as girdles, brassieres, and the like. Of significant importance is the addition of a tension compensator 3 etc. which eliminates varying tensions and thread distortions in the knitted hosiery.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a novel circularly knit stocking and a novel tension controlling device in the form of an attachment that can be incorporated in the tension control device of a circular knitting machine, or other seamless knitting machine, wherein the tension of the yarn is controlled directly by the pivotal movements of the yarn feed finger, whereby the yarn may 4 be fed loosely or without tension in the knitting of the welt or shadow welt-portion. or other desired portion or portions of the stocking; also I have provided a very inexpensive attachment to enable knitting of ladies hosiery and other fabrics, wherein stretchability is desired, by the use of very inexpensive raw yarn, such as raw nylon yarn, therefore considerably reducing the cost of manufacture of such stockings and greatly increasing the stretchability, wearing comfort and perfection of the knit.

While I have illustrated and described a single specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may be made Within the contemplation of my invention and within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine for knitting ladies seamless hosiery, including a needle cylinder having a plurality of pivotally mounted feed fingers cooperable with the needles of the machine for controlling the knitting of various portions of the hosiery, one of said feed fingers controlling the knitting of the welt portion, a yarn tensioning device for applying tension on the yarn during knitting of the leg-portion and which is directly controlled by said one feed finger for relieving said tension when the welt portion is being knitted, said yarn tensioning device including a first lever having an end portion resting by gravity on. the yarn to provide frictional engagement therewith and tensioning thereof, a second lever underneath and at right angles to said first lever and being spring biased so as to lift said first lever out of said frictional contact with the yarn, restraining means directly connected with said one feed finger so that pivoting of the finger will restrain said second lever from lifting the first lever, and a yarn tension compensator located between a spool of the yarn and said yarn tensioning device for applying a lighter tension on the yarn than provided by said first lever to maintain substantially constant tension of the yarn as it is fed through said tensioning device.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said yarn tension compensator comprises a support, a helical spring suspended from said support and having a top end con nected to said support, an eye connected to the bottom end of said helical spring and through Which said yarn passes, said eye having a peripheral groove, vertically extending, parallel rods suspended from said support foi'----,

vertically guiding said eye.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said restraining means comprises a third lever, a stiff wire interconnecting one end of said third lever to said one feed finger, the other end of said third lever being bent so as to overhang and contact the top end portion of said second lever to prevent its lifting of the first lever.

I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,424,025 Lawson July 25, 1922 1,874,379 Stewart Aug. 30, 1932 2,396,166 Faucette Mar. 3, 1946 2,472,614 Pons June 7, 1949 2,500,337 Berg Mar. 14, 1950 2,679,738 Virchaux June 1, 1954 2,702,998 Purcell Mar. 1, 1955 

